←Recommendations of Pangea (Part Two of The Second World Trilogy)

What if your happy ending came along right as the world itself was coming to an end? That's what's in play in the second part of Scott Sickles' Second World Trilogy, wherein the young persecuted pen-pals from Marianas Trench have grown up to achieve their wildest aspirations -- just as the planet seems to be entering its death throes. Sickles starts with a literal bang, our heroes' (re?)union consummated from the get-go; but there are still forces pulling them apart, as implacable as the tectonic shifts that broke up the titular mother continent. Crazy-smart writing, and epically swoon-worthy.

An exciting sequel to the already gorgeously heartbreaking "Marianas Trench". Though Teddy and Anzor are finally reunited, they are set against the backdrop of a world functioning as a ticking time bomb. Sickles continues to exhibit a masterful ability to introduce us to characters we can instantly fall in love with, all while keeping us on our toes, unsure of where this complex tale will lead.

Well, there goes Scott Sickles, disproving my belief that the sequel is never as good as the original. I love this trilogy, and I love this play! I loved watching the boys reconnect at 38 after thinking they lost each other forever at 11. I love how the climate emergency is woven into the play so completely, giving us a (scary! urgent! important!) preview of the kind of world we might be living in - and struggling to get off of - in 2046. I love so much about this. I'm sad I've only got one more play to go.

Teddy and Anzor share an epic love in epic times. With 6 characters Sickles convincingly shows us world-changing events that feel all-too-likely to occur during our lifespans. In the eye of that maelstrom are these two engaging lovers reaching across time and death, war and extinction, to give each other what they need. As the world comes apart, they stand outside the continents and endure, hoping it will come back together again.

What choices do we make in a world that might be gone in less than three generations? Who do we love? Sickles continues the incredible story of “Marianas Trench” in this second chapter of the trilogy. Second chapters are my favorite, because you can dive into so much juicy character work you can’t always tackle in others. “Pangea” does that, but masterfully tells a story that stands on its own at the same time. It is a moving, romantic, funny, and deliciously questioning play in a tiny, vast, icy speck on a dying planet. And it is beautiful.

I was lucky to catch a reading of this play by Roly Poly Productions. After Marianas Trench, Sickles has done it again with Part Two of The Second World Trilogy. A beautiful play. Andy & Lincoln’s relationship coming together as the world (literally) falls apart will tug at your heart strings and have you eager for Part Three. Fantastic play. Bravo, Scott Sickles!

Set in Antarctica in 2046, Pangea takes up the story of Teddy and Anzor twenty years later. Anzor (Andy) is now a famous astronaut who has been to Mars, and Teddy is a brilliant marine biologist. An unexpected meeting in a remote base in Antarctica brings these two long lost penpals back together. But with Planet Earth in a literal meltdown, and refugee penguins searching for a new home (along with the humans), are Teddy and Anzor ready for a grown up love, or will they just pass like ships in the night? Can't wait to read Play 3!

A sweeping love story and a frightening futuristic vision, Sickles skillfully illustrates a tender love story between two men against the broader backdrop of rapid climate change. Sickles doesn't settle for mere melodrama here--his characters are flesh-and-blood humans who are doing their best within an extraordinary situation. The mundanity with which these characters interact is almost revolutionary. Sickles doesn't make it a point of being "chilling" or "disturbing" in the character's interactions, but rather lets this everyday mundanity be a natural part of the play. Boldly ambitious and passionate, "Pangea" explores how humans find happiness in terrifying circumstances.

The best science fiction never allows the "science" aspect of the story to overwhelm the "fiction" and Pangea achieves the perfect balance. Sickles' beautiful love story is set at the bottom of a world that is careening towards collapse just as two soulmates are meeting physically for the first time. It is incredibly powerful- and while it stands alone as its own gripping story, if you have read MARIANAS TRENCH (and if you haven't, what are you waiting for??) you will appreciate the poignancy and depth of Lincoln and Andy's love all the more. Simply glorious. Plus there are penguins.

As fond as I am of Sickles' TARTARUS (so, so fond!) I believe the SECOND WORLD TRILOGY is Sickles' magnum opus, thus far.
PANGEA is the most hopeful of the trilogy - for the love of God, READ AND PRODUCE ALL THREE!!! - in spite of overwhelming reasons to be not hopeful. It's hope that against all odds, two lovers can find each other even when they've traversed the stars and the seas - and penguins! - on their own. And that their love can still burn as boldly, and shine as brightly.